Driving mechanism for recording apparatus.



J. T. WALLlS.

DRIVING MECHANISM FOR'RECORDING APPARATUS.

- Patented June 5, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1- APPLICATION FILED NOV-5,1914.

WITNESSES kyymw ATTORNEYS J. T. WALLIS.-

[iRlVlNG MECHANISM FOR RECORDING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 6, 1914.

1 ,22 ?2 Patented June 5, 1 917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

if 122E WITNESSES )J g 2 INVNTOH A TTORNEYS through the apparatus, Fig. 2 is an end ele- JAMES '1. WALLIS, OF ALTOONA, PENNSYLVANIA.

DRIVING MECHANISM FOR RECORDING AIPAIBATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

ratenteeirune 5, i917.

Application filed November 6, 1914. Serial No. 870,566.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES T. WALLIS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Altoona, in the county of Blair and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful Driving Mechanism for Becordin Apparatus, of which the following is a spec catlon.

The invention relates to recording apparatus, and more particularly to such apparatus as employed upon locomotives and cars wherein certain of the parts are driven from the axle of the vehicle upon which the apparatus is mounted. It has for its primary objects; the provision of improved means for securing a drive from the end of the axle; the provision of reliable driving means which can .be secured to the end of the axle and which can be placed in the ordinary journal box; and the provision of a drive construction of the character specified in which the parts are securely held against accidental disengagement under the jarring action of the vehicle. One embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view vation, with certain of the parts partially broken away, of the axle driving means, and Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the central portion of Fig. 2.

The invention is illustrated as applied to a locomotive in connection with a thermometer for indicating the temperatures of the steam in the steam chest, and since the recording drum is driven from the axle of one of the pairs of wheels, the temperature of the steam in the steam chest at any particular point upon the line can readily be determined by an inspection of the paper strip upon which the record is made. The axle drive of the recording drum is preferable to the clockwork drive heretofore employed since the winding up of the clockwork is eliminated, and for the reason heretofore stated, that it serves to indicate the temperature of the steam in the steam chest at the various points in the route over which the locomotive is driven, which is, of course, not true of the apparatus driven by clockwork.

Referring to the general arrangement of recording drum out of gear. lever 17 is arranged so that .its'upper end flexible drive shaft by means of which the drive from the axle is transmitted to the drum in the casing C; and F is the pipe leading from the casing C to the steam chest G whereby movement incident to temperature changes is transmitted to the indicating levers in the casing B, this being accomplished by means of the usual mercury column.

Referring to Fig. 1, it will be seen that the flexible shaft E is drivenfrom the axle 1 in the journal box D by means of the bevel gears 2 and 3 and the drive shaft 4, the upper end of the shaft E being connected to another shaft 5 journaled in the casing C. This shaft 5 has a universal joint connection 6 with a shaft 7, and the recording drum 8 is driven from the shaft 7 through the worm (not shown) carried by the shaft 7, the Worm wheel 10, and the spur wheels 11 and 12, the latter being mounted upon the axle. of the drum 8.

In order to permit of the disengagement of the worm from the Worm Wheel 10, the end of the shaft 7 adjacent the Worm is carried in a movable bearing 13 pivotally supported upon the lever arm 14. This lever arm 14 is carried upon a shaft 15 mounted in suitable bearings as shown and provided outside the casing O with a handle 16 by means of which the parts may be operated and the Worm disengaged from the worm wheel 10 whenever it is desired to throw the A recording Works across the paper strip on the drum 8 and this lever 17 is operated thermostatically from the connecting pipe F leading to the steam chest. The mechanism interposed between the end of the pipe F and the lever 17 including the coiled tube and the multiplying mechanism, is not shown since it is well known in the art, and any one of a number of different arrangements may be employed. It will be obvious that the drum may be used for receiving records from other devices aside from the ther--.

mometer, and it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the use in connection with a thermometer.

The means whereby the drive from the end of the axle is secured, constitutes another feature of my invention and is shown in enlarged detail in Figs. 4 and 5. The bevel ear 2 is provided with a stem 18 which is screw-threaded into the end of the axle 1, and is also provided with the collar 19. The threading of the stem is e1ther left hand or right hand depending upon the side of the engine upon which the deyice is used, it being desired that the rotation of the axle in the forward movement of the locomotive should tend to tighten the threaded member rather than to loosen its A cap 20 is also employed, such cap being shrunk onto the end of the axle and having the flange 21 overlapping the outer edge of the collar 19 so that any unscrewing of the stem 18 is prevented. The cap is also held in position by means of a plurality of screws 22 extending through the cap and threaded into the end of the axle.

In order to provide a journal support and a gear casing, the members '24 and 25 are employed, such members being clamped to gether by means of the screws 26. The inner edges of these members 24 and 25 interlock with the cap 20 as indicated at 27, so that the gear caslng formed by the members 24 and 25 is rotative with respect to the axle, but held against endwise movement with respect thereto. It will be noted that 'theinner edges of the member 24 and 25 overlap the ends of the screws 22, so that the accidental displacement of these screws under the jarring action of the locomotive is guarded against. The shaft 4 is keyed to the gear 3 and is prevented from movin upward by the collar 28 pinned to the sha t 4. The upward movement of the gear is also prevented by the stop member 29. The shaft 4 extends upwardly through the slotted portion 30 of the journal box, the lid of the journal box, which is not shown, being correspondingly slotted.

The construction of the apparatus is such that it may be laced in the ordinary journal box, the on y change required being the provlsion of the slot in the journal box and the lid for the passage of the shaft 4. The use of the device does not interfere with the proper packing of the j ournal box, and its construction is such that the parts may be readily assembled or disassembled.

The gears are protected from accident, and practically all danger of accidental disengagement of the parts is eliminated due to the manner of securing the stem 18 against unscrewing and to the method of securing the cap in partition and guarding against the displacement of the screws 22. Other advantages of the construction will be readily journal'box, a pair of intermeshing gears,

one carried non-rotatively upon the end of the axle, and the other carried by the journal member, a shaft for said other gear extending transversely of the end of the axle and held against rotation with the axle, and

driving connections with the shaft adapted to operate the recording apparatus.

2. In combination in a driving mechanism for recording apparatus mounted upon a vehicle having a rotating axle, a bevel gear secured to the end of the axle and non-rota table with respect thereto, a journal member mounted for relative rotative movement upon the axle, a bevel gear and drive shaft carried by the journal member with the bevel gear in engagement with the first gear, and driving connections with the shaft adapted to operate the recording apparatus.

3. In combination in a driving mechanism for recording apparatus mounted upon a vehicle having a rotating axle, a bevel gear secured to theend of the axle and non-rotatable with respect thereto, a journal casing mounted for relative rotative movement upon the end of the axle, a second bevel gear carried in the casing and meshing with the first gear, a drive shaft for the second gear, means for preventing the shaft from turning with the axle, and driving connections with the shaft adapted to operate the recording apparatus.

'4. In combination in a driving mechanism for recording apparatus mounted upon a vehicle having a rotating axle, a bevel gear having a stem threaded into the end of the axle, a retaining member for the gear secured rigidly to the end of the axle, a two part journal member mounted for relative rotative movement upon the retaining member and having a dove-tailed engagement therewith, means for securin the two parts of the journal member detac ably to ether, a bevel gear provided with a sha and meshing with t e first ear, and driving connections with the sha t adapted to operate the recording apparatus.

5. In combination in a driving mechanism for recording apparatus mounted upon a vehicle having a rotating axle, a bevel gear having a stem threaded into the end of the axle, a cap fitting over the end of the axle and overlapping a part of said stem and reventing its unscrewing, screws extending through the cap and into the end of the axle, a two part journal member having a dovetailed engagement with the said cap and In testimony whereof I have hereunto overlapping the screws, means for securlng signed my name in the presence of the two 10 the two parts of the journal member tosubscribed witnesses.

' gether, a bevel gear provided with a shaft I J. WALLIS;

carried by the journal member and meshing with the first gear, and driving connectlons Witnesses:

with the shaft adapted to operate the re- 0. W. KEPHART, v I k cording apparatus. p C. R. ATKINSON. 

